The present invention relates generally to an exterior vehicle mirror and more particularly to an exterior vehicle mirror having a mirror bracket formed integrally with the mirror shell.
Current exterior vehicle mirrors include a mirror bracket secured to the interior of the mirror shell. A motor mount bracket is secured to a rear surface of the mirror glass and includes a pair of motors pivoting the motor mount bracket and mirror glass relative to the mirror bracket and shell.
The separate mirror bracket requires additional tooling and assembly. Further, the connection between the mirror bracket and shell could become loose or increase vibration-harshness and noise.
It is well known that if an integral protrusion is formed on one side of a plastic wall, such as the rear wall of the mirror shell, sink marks will be formed on the opposite surface of the wall. The sink marks can be eliminated by decreasing the ratio of the thickness of the protrusion to that of the wall. In a mirror assembly, this would require either reducing the thickness of the mirror bracket below a point required for stiffness and strength or increasing the thickness of the rear wall of the mirror shell and thereby increasing the total weight of the mirror assembly.